Archive for May, 2010

High uptime web hosting services will provide you with a reliable web hosting service that will ensure that your website is available all the time, giving you one less thing to worry about and allowing you to focus on more important tasks. Web hosting companies are endeavouring to offer web hosting services with the highest rate of uptime attainable as reliability is the main factor that most people will consider in web hosting services these days; this can be achieved in many different ways, but the most popular way at this moment in time of attaining a high level of uptime with web hosting is to roll out cloud web hosting packages. Dedicated server hosting is another way in which you can receive a high level of uptime from your chosen web hosting package; dedicated servers offer you an isolated web hosting environment separate from anyone else which will allow you to make the most of the resources that you have purchased.

What makes a web hosting service reliable?

There are several different factors that can affect the reliability of a web hosting service, and web hosting providers take these into consideration so that they can alter them to allow them to offer high uptime web hosting services. These factors can include:

Network – the network that your hosting server is hosted on can have an affect on the reliability of your web hosting service as all traffic to your website has to be routed through this network – most data centres are using the latest networking equipment and have it set up in a way that will allow them to ensure that is one part of the network fails, there will always be a way to route traffic to particular servers that may be affected – if the main connection to the internet fails then most data centres also use a number of different peers in order to provide a fast connection to users all over the world – it is important to remember that data centres usually control their networks rather than the web hosting provider that you are using

Power supply – the supply of power to your server could be affected at times and if this causes the server to crash then your website and web hosting account could be unavailable for a prolonged period of time – any reputable data centre will be using several sources of back-up power for use in the scenario where the main power supply fails – most data centres will have petrol generators to provide power for a prolonged period of time, but for the short term most data centres will automatically fall back onto UPS battery supplies – this means that the power supply provided to you hosting server is unlikely to affect the reliability of your web hosting service

Number of users hosted per server – the number of web hosting accounts that a web hosting provider hosts on a single server can also affect the overall reliability of your web hosting service as the more users there are on a single server, the higher the load there will be placed on the server’s resources – if a web hosting provider is overselling its servers then you will face problems with reliability as the problem will be that there are so many users hosted per server, the server won’t be able to cope with the load of the websites meaning that it will eventually crash, thus rendering your website unavailable.

When choosing any web hosting service, it is important for you to consider the above factors if you wish to receive a reliable web hosting experience. Choosing a reputable web hosting company is another way in which you can be assured to an extent of the level of uptime that you can come to expect from your chosen web hosting service.

What is the best way to protect myself with high uptime web hosting?

There are a couple of different ways in which you can protect yourself when using high uptime web hosting to help ensure that you receive the high level of uptime that you are being promised, and if that fails you then that you have a way to claim compensation for the disruption caused. The two main ways are:

Cloud web hosting – cloud web hosting services are able to offer 100% guaranteed uptime as there are many servers used in a single cluster to allow web hosting providers to offer cloud web hosting – when you are provided with an uptime guarantee of 100%, it is highly unlikely that you’ll need to worry about the availability of your website as web hosting providers rarely stray away from such guarantees

SLA (service level agreement) – larger web hosting providers will offer SLAs on some of their higher end products such as dedicated servers so that you are provided with a contracted guarantee of the level of uptime you can expect from your web hosting service – SLAs are only usually available on the most expensive web hosting services but usually detail that you can claim compensation if your web hosting service comes unavailable for an extended period of time.

In conclusion, high uptime web hosting services can be found if you choose the right web hosting provider for your requirements. Cloud web hosting should be your focus if you want to be offered a guaranteed level of uptime if you require it, but if you can afford the premium then you may wish to consider a dedicated server that comes with an SLA.

A web hosting company is there to provide you with the web hosting services that you require in order to sustain your web presence. Although most web hosting companies provide a similar range of web hosting services, there are specialist web hosting companies available if you have a specific interest in a certain form of web hosting such as dedicated server hosting; some web hosting companies also specialize in web hosting platforms with some choosing to focus primarily on Windows web hosting services whilst others may choose to focus on Linux web hosting services. A web hosting company should be able to meet your web hosting requirements in one way or another through the means of the features that they are able to offer, although if you have complex requirements of your web hosting service then you may need to research multiple web hosting companies in order to find the one that can offer you what you need.

What should I look for in a web hosting company?

A web hosting company is going to be providing you with your web hosting service and so it is important for you to look at the structure of the business itself and what the business can offer as this will have an affect on the quality of the service that you receive. The main things to look for in a web hosting company include:

24×7 web hosting support – it is always a good idea to consider web hosting companies that can offer you 24×7 web hosting support above web hosting providers that don’t as this shows commitment to customer service – web hosting providers that offer 24×7 support will be able to respond to server issues faster than those that don’t meaning that if there is an issue with your website, you can be sure that by contacting your web hosting provider at any time of the day, you will be able to have your issue resolved without any problems – however, in some cases you may find that you have to pay a premium in order to be able to go with a web hosting company that can offer 24×7 support

High uptime – you want your website to be available all the time without the reliability of your chosen web hosting package having to be a worry for you and so you should only consider web hosting companies that have a good track record with offering high uptime web hosting services – there are many different factors that can affect the reliability of a web hosting package with the external factors (such as power supplies and the network) being the core problems, although the management of the hosting server will also play a huge part in how reliable it is – offering high uptime web hosting services doesn’t have to be hard if a server is managed properly, but in order to offer 100% uptime many web hosting companies are now switching to offer cloud web hosting services

Realistic resource offerings – it is important for you to be aware of the resources allocations that a web hosting company is offering with its web hosting services as it is recommended that you avoid web hosting companies that are overselling their web hosting servers – if a web hosting company is offering resource assignments that sound silly for such a low price then it is clear that they are overselling their web hosting services, and overselling can bring you problems if you do choose to purchase from such a web hosting company – it will mean that you will probably never make the most of the resource assignments that you have purchased, and if you get anywhere near using them then the likelihood is that your web hosting account will be terminated.

If you consider the above factors when looking for a web hosting company capable of servicing your needs, you will soon find one that can offer you the web hosting package that you require.

What are the most popular forms of web hosting offered by web hosting companies?

Most web hosting companies offer the same array of web hosting services, although some web hosting companies will be different with what they offer if they specialize in a certain form of web hosting. The two main forms of web hosting on offer are:

Shared web hosting – shared web hosting services are usually the cheapest web hosting packages available from most web hosting companies and they are popular with web hosting companies since they are cheap to offer – if you are an individual using web hosting for the first time then a shared web hosting service from a reputable web hosting company will provide you with a web hosting experience that you can rely on to meet your requirements

Dedicated server hosting – if your requirements are a bit more complex then you may wish to consider dedicated server hosting for your requirements – although dedicated servers are usually the most expensive form of web hosting available, you will be able to make the most of a dedicated server hosting service that can offer you resource assignments that no other form of web hosting can provide you with.

In conclusion, a web hosting company can provide you with a variety of different web hosting services, one of which will be able to meet your requirements in one way or another. It is a good idea to research a web hosting company prior to purchasing a web hosting service so that you can be sure that you are choosing a reputable web hosting company.

Windows web hosting services are aimed at those who have a specific need for Windows web hosting, as is evident with the features that accompany most Windows web hosting packages. Windows web hosting packages are usually more expensive than Linux web hosting services meaning that you should only consider Windows web hosting if you have a specific need for Windows, such as if you wish to make use of specific Windows components. There are different variants of Windows web hosting available, ranging from Windows shared hosting packages all the way up to Windows dedicated servers; this helps to ensure that there is a wide variety of Windows web hosting services for you to choose from and guarantees that there will always be a Windows web hosting service capable of meeting the requirements of each user.

What are the advantages of using Windows web hosting services?

Windows web hosting services are able to offer many advantages to the businesses and individuals that have a distinct need for Windows web hosting. The main advantages that can be had from using Windows web hosting services include:

Classic ASP and ASP.NET support – classic ASP and ASP.NET are two popular scripting frameworks that have been developed by Microsoft, and because of this web pages and scripts created using either will only function correctly on Windows web hosting services – this is one of the major driving points of Windows web hosting since many businesses and individuals will consider Windows web hosting services purely because of their support for classic ASP and ASP.NET – however, you may find that it isn’t worth spending extra on Windows web hosting services purely so that you can develop websites using classic ASP or ASP.NET since other open source scripting languages such as PHP may be more beneficial for your requirements

Microsoft Access support – Microsoft Access is a desktop database application that has been designed by Microsoft for basic record keeping from the desktop, although Microsoft Access databases can still be used in conjunction with classic ASP and ASP.NET based scripts to develop dynamic websites – Microsoft Access is part of the Microsoft Office suite of applications and is only really recommended for use in situations where you are going to have full control over the data that is going to be entering the database as this will allow you to constantly monitor the size of the database – Microsoft Access databases aren’t that scalable either meaning that you should avoid using one in a scenario where you can be sure that the database will be put under high loads

Microsoft SQL Server support – Microsoft SQL Server is the enterprise-class database server developed by Microsoft for larger businesses that require a scalable database hosting solution for their requirements – most Windows web hosting services will allow you to create at least one Microsoft SQL Server database under your web hosting account for use – similarly to Microsoft Access databases, Microsoft SQL Server databases can be incorporated into classic ASP and ASP.NET web pages and scripts so that you can create highly scalable, dynamic websites that will be able to cope well under high loads.

Windows web hosting services are ideal for businesses that want to be able to develop dynamic web applications for hosting in a very secure and reliable web hosting environment capable of sustaining their requirements for a long period of time.

What are the disadvantages of using Windows web hosting services?

There can also be disadvantages to using Windows web hosting services that you should be aware of prior to purchasing a Windows web hosting service as you may find after all that another form of web hosting is more appropriate for your requirements. Such disadvantages could include:

Price – Windows web hosting services are always going to be priced higher than Linux web hosting services of a similar specification as web hosting providers have to factor in the cost of the Windows operating system license – if you find that Windows web hosting is too expensive for you then Linux web hosting services are probably going to be more beneficial for your requirements, and at the end of the day they are probably going to be cheaper as well

Reliability – Windows web hosting services may not be as reliable as you would expect them to be which could cause problems for some businesses that rely on their website to provide them with a source of income – the best way to ensure that you receive a good level of uptime from a Windows web hosting package is to choose a Windows dedicated server as this will allow you to optimize your dedicated server to function in the way that you want it to, thus allowing you to maximize the level of uptime that it can provide.

In conclusion, Windows web hosting services are best suited for businesses that require Windows web hosting for a specific reason. It is important to consider the cost of Windows web hosting as if you can’t justify the amount that you are going to pay for your web hosting service, the chances are that it isn’t the right web hosting service for you.

Linux web hosting services are the cheapest available and are the most effective in meeting the requirements of users who are on low budgets but are looking to maximise their web presence. Web hosting companies will often offer Linux web hosting services to begin with as they are cheap to setup and relatively easy to manage on a small or medium scale, this does mean however that there are many smaller web hosting companies rivalling the larger players in the web hosting industry on the prices of their Linux web hosting services. A Linux web hosting service promises to be able to offer you the support required for most PHP applications – most web hosting providers will also be able to offer you access to a wide variety of third-party PHP components that you can then make use of to help develop certain areas of your website.

What are the advantages of using Linux web hosting services?

Linux web hosting services are able to offer users many advantages over using other web hosting platforms. The main advantages include:

Price – Linux is an open source operating system meaning that any Linux web hosting service is going to be cheaper than a Windows web hosting service of a similar specification – for most people the cost of a web hosting service is important and for those considering Linux web hosting the chances are that their website isn’t of the upmost importance to them in terms of performance – however, if you are a business then you are going to value your web presence meaning that you will want to consider expanding your budget to allow you to consider large-scale Linux web hosting services such as Linux dedicated servers for your requirements

PHP and MySQL support – PHP and MySQL are two popular development tools used by web developers to create dynamic websites with PHP being an open source scripting language and MySQL a popular open source database server – when combining PHP and MySQL based websites with a Linux web hosting service you are able to create a highly cost-effective web solution that will allow you to make the most of what PHP and MySQL have to offer, thus allowing you to create the best website possible for your requirements – it is a good idea to take note of the fact that PHP and MySQL based websites will function best on Linux web hosting servers

cPanel web hosting – if you are considering a Linux shared hosting package for your requirements then the chances are that the web hosting service that you are considering will provide you with access to the cPanel control panel so that you will be able to manage your web hosting package effectively – there are many features that help make cPanel one of the best web hosting control panels available, but the important thing to consider is that it will be able to offer you a high level of security whilst at the same time being able to use.

The advantages of using Linux web hosting ensure that it offers good value for money for those with basic web hosting requirements but at the same time can offer businesses the sort of reliability and features that they will require in order for their web presence to work effectively.

What are the disadvantages of using Linux web hosting services?

As with any type of web hosting that is available, there can be disadvantages to using Linux web hosting services that you should be aware of prior to purchasing a Linux web hosting package. Such disadvantages could include:

ASP support – classic ASP and ASP.NET are two popular scripting frameworks that have been developed by Microsoft over the years, although ASP.NET remains the only one of the two that is still in active development – as these two scripting frameworks are seen as commercial entities by Microsoft, web pages and scripts created using either will only function correctly on Windows web hosting servers meaning that if you wish to use either on a Linux web hosting service, you will be unable to

Management – if you choose a Linux VPS server or Linux dedicated server for your requirements then you may face problems with the management of your server since this can only be done via SSH – managing a server via SSH requires skill since you need to be sure of the various commands that are available on Linux since using the wrong one could have a negative effect on your server and could even cause damage.

In conclusion, Linux web hosting services are ideal for both businesses that have high requirements from their web hosting services as well as for individuals who want the cheapest web hosting package going. Most Linux web hosting packages are expandable so that you receive the resources that you require, but at the end of the day the likelihood is that you are going to be using a budget web hosting service that provides you with adequate resource assignments anyway.

ASP.NET is a scripting framework developed by Microsoft that is used by web developers to create highly scalable web applications that are to be hosted in a Windows web hosting environment. ASP.NET web applications are usually developed in conjunction with Microsoft database systems such as Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL Server in order to create dynamic web applications that are able to utilize a well designed front-end with a reliable database back-end. ASP.NET web applications will only function correctly in Windows web hosting environments as ASP.NET is a Microsoft technology; this means that you will need to consider either Windows shared hosting or Windows dedicated web hosting for your requirements. ASP.NET is a scripting framework generally reserved for larger businesses due to the deployment costs that are involved, and on top of this the features of the ASP.NET framework do identify it as being more suitable for larger projects rather than smaller ones.

What are the advantages of using ASP.NET?

There are several different advantages to using ASP.NET that are you to benefit you most if you are a business. The main advantages of using ASP.NET include:

Microsoft database system integration – ASP.NET websites can be integrated with Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL Server database back-ends which will allow you to develop dynamic websites using only Microsoft applications – when developing dynamic websites, you want to be sure that the combination of database server and scripting language that you are using will allow you to create a sustainable system that will be able to cope with high loads – by using ASP.NET with a Microsoft database application you are guaranteed to be able to create a web application using two components that will function seamlessly with each other

Scalable web applications – ASP.NET is ideal for the development of scalable web applications as ASP.NET web applications will always perform well under high loads, although the extent to which this is applicable will depend on the specifications of the server that you are using – Windows servers are generally used by larger businesses which is evident with the costs that are incurred when using a Windows servers, but the performance offered is usually higher than that offered by Linux servers when it comes to large scale business applications which is why ASP.NET is ideal for the development of scalable web applications

AJAX – ASP.NET comes with native AJAX components built-in that you will be able to make use of if you wish to create a dynamic website that makes the most of the latest client technologies – AJAX will allow you to create web pages and scripts that can dynamically send and receive data from the server without having to reload an entire web page, allowing you to create a seamless and easy to use system that will also reduce the load on the hosting server and your website’s overall bandwidth usage – having specific AJAX components available to you as part of the scripting framework that you are using will reduce the amount of work that you need to do to incorporate any additional script libraries that you may wish to make use of.

The advantages of using ASP.NET show that it is a scripting framework ideal for creating web applications that are capable of making the most of the latest technologies available and will be able to offer visitors the feature-rich experience that they demand.

What are the disadvantages of using ASP.NET?

There can also be disadvantages to using ASP.NET that you should be aware of as these could affect your ability to use the scripting framework effectively. Such disadvantages could include:

Implementation costs – ASP.NET isn’t an open source scripting framework and will only function on Windows servers meaning that a considerable amount of money will need to be spent on purchasing Windows licenses if you wish to use the scripting framework – on top of this some of the main development tools that are used for ASP.NET, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, also cost quite a bit meaning that ASP.NET is a scripting framework that should only be considered for use by larger businesses that can justify the cost

Platform – ASP.NET web pages and scripts will only function correctly on Windows web hosting services which can be a hassle for some businesses that may already be running a large number of Linux servers or may well already be using Linux web hosting services – although some web hosting providers do claim to be able to offer support for ASP.NET on Linux servers, the support offered is only limited and will not allow you to make the most of the scripting framework.

In conclusion, ASP.NET is a scripting framework that can provide businesses with many benefits when developing large-scale websites that need to be able to cope with high loads. If you are only going to be developing smaller websites then ASP.NET may not be the best choice for you because of the implementation costs that are involved, and instead you may wish to consider PHP for your requirements.